Goteborg Film Festival to Live Broadcast Civil Disobedience Protest to Fight Against Deforestation
The G?teborg Film Festival is set to push the boundaries of art and activism with a groundbreaking live-streamed civil disobedience event, inviting visitors to become part of the action from their cinema seats. This year’s festival, themed “Focus: Disobedience,” promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between art and rebellion.
In collaboration with artist-in-residence Britta Marakatt-Labba, Greenpeace, and the Saami reindeer herding community Ohredahke, the festival has created a unique art installation strategically placed in a secret location within a severely threatened area of untouched forest, with the aim of halting its deforestation. The highlight of this initiative is the live broadcast of this act of civil disobedience, allowing festival-goers to witness and potentially participate in the protest.
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The festival’s artistic director, Pia Lundberg, emphasizes the importance of this initiative, stating, “Along with the public, we want to explore the power of civil disobedience and the value of art. The live broadcast creates an opportunity for visitors to explore and perhaps even take part in an act of rebellion. We hope that this will create discussions about the role of civil disobedience and the part it plays in society today.”
The installation, located deep within the forest, challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of nature and art. If the forest and the art installation face destruction, viewers in the cinema can choose to alert on-call activists from Greenpeace via an alarm button or take no action at all. This interactive element raises the stakes, questioning whether the artist’s valuable work can prevent deforestation or if it will be sacrificed alongside the forest.
Britta Marakatt-Labba, the artist behind the installation, expresses her pride in contributing to this cause. “It’s always important to find new ways to approach the preservation of our nature. I am, therefore, very proud that my art will be used by Greenpeace to protect the untouched forest by the Ohredahke Saami reindeer herding community, and I am looking forward to coming to the festival and seeing how the action unfolds.”
The exhibition will be broadcast in “The Activist Cinema,” an auditorium in Biograf Draken, as well as via the G?teborg Film Festival’s digital streaming service. In the physical screening room, members of the public will join guests from the film and culture world to watch over the art installation and the forest it resides in.
Greenpeace’s artistic protest is carried out in collaboration with Climate Live, which will participate in panel discussions and other activities highlighting the role of art and music in justice issues. This innovative approach to activism through art is set to spark conversations and inspire action among festival attendees and beyond.
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